Florida is known for its citrus, of course. But the sunshine state also has an abundance of other delicious fruit, including peaches, blueberries, and my favorite: strawberries.
Strawberry picking is something that you should add to your list of things to do, whether you live in Florida or just happen to be visiting. There’s something special about going out and picking your own fresh fruits and vegetables, which is why we love it. Most strawberry farms don’t open up for picking until the end of the commercial season, so the best time to plan a picking trip is from mid/late January to the end of April, which is fortunately the time of year when there is perfect picking weather.
For our strawberry-picking day date, we headed to Pappy’s Patch, a farm in Oviedo, Florida. But no matter where you decide to go, the first thing that you are going to do when you get to the farm is pick your strawberry-holding receptacle (fancy name for a cardboard box). Now, this is really important. Your first instinct is going to be to grab one of the little green boxes. They’re so cute, and seem perfect for a leisurely day of picking small fruit. We thought the same thing. Then we started picking. What started out as a selective process of only picking the very best, turned into a obsessive-compulsive mission of “leave no strawberry behind”. If it looked red and juicy, it was going into the box. Before we knew it, our small boxes were overflowing and we were walking back to the check-in stand to trade up to something bigger. I would recommend not picking strawberries on an empty stomach.
One of the cool things about going fruit picking is seeing the bees pollinating the plants.
The only downside to a great day of strawberry picking is figuring out what to do with all of the strawberries once you get home. We recommend having a plan before going so that you have an idea of how many you need. Or don’t, and just have a great time picking as many delicious strawberries as you can carry. Maybe we’ll learn how to turn them into jam before our next picking adventure, that way we can pick to our heart’s content.
The down and dirty of it all….
Pappy’s Patch is located in Oviedo, Florida and has rows and rows of strawberries to pick from. It’s quite impressive and the strawberries were very tasty. They also have a Facebook page, Pappy’s Patch U-Pick Strawberries (Official Page), to follow along with updates of hours and availability of strawberries throughout the season. There was also a honey stand, where local honey could be purchased, and of course we did this. Joffrey can never turn down honey….especially after he’s sampled the goods.
No Regrets! (except for maybe…)
- Not pick more than we can eat
- Or better yet, pick as many as we want, but freeze some for smoothies
- Also, learn how to can/preserve the extra strawberries
Where will your next adventure take you?
2 Comments
I love your stories! Congratulations on your blog!
Thank you! 🥰